Pedestrian dies in Lake Forest hit-and-run; deputies seek witnesses

A pedestrian in Lake Forest died after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver on the evening of Monday, Sept. 24, officials said Tuesday.

Witnesses reported a man lying in the street and suffering from a head wound near the intersection of Ridge Route Drive and Rockfield Boulevard at about 10:30 p.m., the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.

The release said deputies and paramedics were dispatched, but the man was pronounced dead by Orange County Fire Authority officials at the scene.

The victim was identified as Oscar Martinez, 33, of Lake Forest.

Physical evidence was scarce, and the Sheriff’s Department’s Major Accident Reconstruction Team (MART) has had difficulty piecing together the circumstances that led up to Martinez’s death, the release said.

Investigators are asking anyone who might have been traveling along Ridge Route between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on the night of the incident to either call dispatchers at (949)-770-6011 or leave an anonymous tip with OC Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.